Marin mayors consider supporting stronger gun control laws

San Rafael's mayor has put his name on a nationwide petition urging Congress and President Barack Obama to bolster gun trafficking laws and get rid of military-style assault weapons across the country.

Other mayors in Marin are also considering the request.

San Rafael Mayor Gary Phillips said he supports the principles of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns coalition, which sent a letter to the White House last week demanding background checks for every gun sale and stricter illegal gun laws. It was signed by more than 750 mayors throughout the country.

"It's certainly a serious issue that affects many cities," Phillips said. "I support legislation to assure best practices in regard to handling illegal firearms."

The bipartisan coalition of mayors was founded in 2006 by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, but has gained attention and support in the wake of a shooting Dec. 14 at a Connecticut elementary school that killed 26 people, among them 20 children and six adults.

Participating mayors are asking the federal government to "make it harder for dangerous people to possess guns, and easier for police and prosecutors to crack down on them," according to the letter.

Phillips said there's no reason high-capacity guns should be on the streets, and that those who illegally traffic guns need to be punished. Petitioners like Phillips want unlicensed, private gun sellers who sell their firearms online or at gun shows to conduct background checks. Making gun trafficking a federal crime and drafting legislation that makes high capacity rifles and ammunition magazines illegal are also part of the request.

Other mayors in Marin plan to take the petition back to their councils for input. San Rafael is the only city in the county that has an elected mayoral position. All the others rotate the leadership role.

Novato Mayor Pat Eklund said she plans to ask her council to discuss supporting the petition and getting Congress to remove assault weapons from communities.

"There is no reason that I can think of that anyone in this country as a civilian would have a need for those assault weapons," Eklund said.

People have argued that hunters utilize the high-powered guns, but Eklund said, "If people really want to perfect their skill at hunting, they wouldn't need an assault weapon."

Mayors in San Anselmo, Fairfax, Corte Madera and Larkspur are also considering holding a public discussion about the petition and gun control issues.

Larkspur Mayor Dan Hillmer said he supports more effective gun control legislation and enforcement. He said it would make a stronger statement if the entire council passed a resolution supporting the petition.

"We do a good job in Larkspur, but if possible, we all need to work more closely together to create communities where safe learning environments for all of our children is the top priority," Hillmer said.

San Anselmo Mayor Kay Coleman said she understands what guns are all about, having grown up on ranch land in Kansas. She said the Town Council is discussing the petition at its Jan. 8 meeting.

"This kind of strong statement, we need to come together and support it or not support it," Coleman said.

Corte Madera Mayor Diane Furst said she's interested in taking the petition to the council, but wants Congress to tackle additional issues.

"This should also prompt a new, hard look at mental health services. We need to improve what we're providing," Furst said.

Fairfax Mayor John Reed agreed.

"It's a long, overdue conversation," Reed said. "Mental health issues need to be a part of it."

Reed said the petition was brought to his attention by Fairfax Councilman David Weinsoff and that it'll be a discussion item on the council's next agenda. He said the council will decide as a whole how it feels about endorsing the petition.

"It may well be that this doesn't address it in a proper way that I'd like to see," Reed said.

Beyond the statement of principles mayors are being asked to sign, the coalition asked the president in its Dec. 19 letter to appoint a director to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, which has been acting without a confirmed director for six years.

The letter asked the president to prosecute prohibited purchasers who try to buy firearms, ammunition or high-capacity magazines, require federal agencies to report mental health, substance abuse and other records that prohibit people from owning guns to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System and repeal barriers restricting access to federal gun data.